In the world of sports, as a fan I admit to generally gravitating toward team sports.
One of the exceptions to that rule is checking out the Badminton World Federation via YouTube with the organization doing a fine job of showcasing the sport at near-weekly tournaments in-season.
As a Canadian I am of course interested when a 鈥楥anuck鈥� takes to the court.
Arguably the best current Canadian is Michelle Li.
One of her career highlights was at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she became the first Canadian to win an individual gold medal in women鈥檚 singles badminton at the Commonwealth Games.
At the 2011 Pan Am Games she was also gold medalist Li鈥檚 first senior Pan Am title and first major multi-sport games title.
Li also represented Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
So it was a definite thrill to connect with her via email to answer a few questions on her career, and the sport of badminton.
As you might of expected Li began playing badminton at an early age.
鈥淚 picked up my first racquet when I was 11 just playing badminton with my mom at a local community centre,鈥� said Li who hails from Markham, ON. 鈥淣ot long after, a close family friend recommended a badminton training centre to us for me to start taking lessons from and I have been training out of Lees Badminton training centre ever since.鈥�
Li said the sport immediately appealed to her.
鈥淲hen I picked up my first racquet, and hit the bird hard over the net, it was that satisfying feeling of making that clean, crisp hit that sparked my interest for the sport,鈥� she related.
鈥淗owever after taking lessons, and being exposed to the sport at a deeper level, I learned it鈥檚 more than just power, it鈥檚 more than just speed, it鈥檚 more than just technique, and it鈥檚 more than just tactical. It鈥檚 everything put together if you want to excel at the sport and the challenge to perfect this sport is what grew in me and fired my passion for the sport.鈥�
To achieve a high level in the various skills required of badminton, Li said one thing is paramount 鈥� 鈥渃ommitment鈥�.
鈥淚t takes a lot of time, effort and training to become a top badminton player,鈥� she said. 鈥淟ike everything else, there are certain sacrifices to make and routines to follow.
鈥淭raining often will get extremely tedious, and exhausting and sometimes even boring because badminton is such a taxing sport to train. Burn out is very common in badminton; which is why it鈥檚 so important to be resilient and disciplined and stay strong during the tough times; and to do this you need that commitment to your passion that will allow you to keep working.鈥�
Certainly in Canada badminton is not as popular as many other sports, nor is it played at levels you will find in many other countries. Li said one day she dreams its profile might grow here.
鈥淚t would be a dream if badminton could get the same recognition they have as other parts of the world like Asia and Europe,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t would definitely not be an overnight thing but it has to start somewhere and it has to start with someone.
鈥淥ver time, if Canada can consistently start bringing in the results and bring more awareness to Canadians that Canada is also a country that excels and medals in badminton; more people will start to pay attention and learn to love and respect the sport for what it is.鈥�
That said getting to the podium at major events, like those held by the BWF, is never going to be easy.
Li called the prospect 鈥渆xtremely difficult, especially when we are still a self-funded sport, we try to find ways to save financially and that usually means less trips home since a ticket home from Asia is over a thousand dollars. This usually ends up with me staying overseas for up to three to six months at a time depending on the tournament schedule. Not being able to go home and have that reset makes it much more stressful, but of course everyone is different.
鈥淔or me, going home is like hitting the reset button and I always feel a lot more refreshed and ready to take on the next challenge even if it鈥檚 just being home for a day. Seeing family and friends and being in a familiar environment again after being away for so long and living out of my suitcase in a foreign setting really does something for me.鈥�
While Li has some noteworthy medals on her resume, as noted, they are not necessarily her personal career highlight.
鈥淚 think every breakthrough and every barrier I managed to step over really has its own value and place in my career,鈥� she reflected.
鈥淔or example, being the first Canadian to win the Commonwealth Games was a big moment in my career. However, reaching a world ranking of #8 felt like just as big of an accomplishment, if not bigger, because it was also the first for Canada to have someone in the top 16 let alone the top-8.
鈥淪o each step forward I was able to make in the sport I remember very well and I hope to continue making these breakthroughs and creating these meaningful memories.鈥�
Wrapped up in the accomplishments and hours of training is a gem of wisdom for a budding badminton player.
鈥淏e ready to train hard, and how you train is more important than who you train with,鈥� offered Li. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter where you鈥檙e from, or what equipment you use, it鈥檚 how you make the most of what you have that will determine if you become a good badminton player or not.鈥�
